Adelaide Herrmann and the 1926 Fire

Warehouse on 46St NYC

This is a story I had read about in different books over the years, but always in snippets. I never quite knew the whole story and now thanks to the publication of Adelaide Herrmann's Memoirs, I've got more information. But I'm also going back to other sources to pull out the various discussions of the event because other historical figures get involved.

Adelaide Herrmann was the widow of Alexander Herrmann, known as Herrmann The Great. After Alexander died in their traincar in December of 1896, Adelaide decided to take a version of their show out. She chose Alexander's nephew Leon to fill the male role and she sent for him in Europe.
They toured together for three seasons until personality clashes caused them to part ways.

Adelaide had inherited all of the properties from the original Herrmann the Great show and these were stored in a warehouse near 37th St in New York City.  However, Mrs. Herrmann had been notified that the warehouse building that held all her equipment was due to be demolished and she would need to find a new location. The new warehouse was at 611 46th Street NYC.  Along with all the props, costumes, scenery, and illusions were also all of Adelaide's animals that she used during her 'Noah's Ark' routine.

On the morning of September 7th, 1926, an explosion occurred at the warehouse and the building was engulfed in flames. All 200 animals perished in the fire, along with an animal trainer and the majority of the Herrmann props. Apparently, one crate remained unharmed but was later broken into by thieves so nothing remained of the Herrmann legacy.

What caused the fire? The New York Times reported that an alcohol still, or several stills, hidden on the roof of the warehouse had exploded causing the fire.

It would seem that Adelaide Herrmann's show business career was over. However, a number of professional performers came to her aid. Among them was the President of the Society of American Magicians, Harry Houdini, who donated a Noah's Ark Illusion to replace the one that had been destroyed by fire. Harry Blackstone Sr. also helped Mrs. Herrmann by donating equipment. She quickly put together a new act and was up and running by October 1926.

Though the majority of the props owned and used by the Herrmann's had been destroyed in the Sept 7th warehouse fire, some props still remain today in private collections. Among the props that still exist are a Pistol used by Alexander Herrmann to vanish rings and a pair of Rapping Hands, both in the collection of Ray Goulet. Also Ken Klosterman has a center table that belonged to Herrmann, and the magic wand that used by Alexander Herrmann, which once was owned by Houdini, is now in the Copperfield collection. There may be other props scattered among collectors but those are a few I'm aware of.

Below is a photo of the location of the 611 46th Street warehouse. You'll see today it still remains a shell of it's former self. However, at the top of the page is a photo of 609 46th Street,  a warehouse that has been there since 1879 and this is very likely exactly what Adelaide Herrmann's warehouse once looked like. One other note, this location is walking distance from the pier where the USS Intrepid is docked and also where one of the NASA Space Shuttles now sits on display.

Location of Adelaide Herrmann's Warehouse & Fire

References:
ASKALEXANDER.org
Milbourne Christopher, The Illustrated History of Magic
M-U-M Magazine, March 1981, article 'Ladies of the Hall of Fame' by Colette Cozean
Genii Magazine August 2000, article 'Adelaide Herrmann' by James Hamilton
M-U-M Magazine, May 2011, article 'Adelaide Herrmann & The SAM' by Margaret Steele
Frank Dudgeon with Ann Goulet, RAY GOULET Recollections of a Renaissance Man
Adelaide Herrmann & Margaret Steele, Adelaide Herrmann Queen of Magic, Memoirs

The Queen of Magic - Book Review

A while ago I mentioned that Margaret Steele had published the recently discovered memoirs of Adelaide Herrmann. But at the time I had not read the book. I was unaware that the book would be released not only in a hardbound edition but also in trade paperback version. This is exciting news because the book is much more affordable and easily accessible.

The bulk of this book (30 chapters) was written by Adelaide Herrmann. These were the Memoirs of her life with Alexander Herrmann and then her own career after he passed on. Sadly, she did not quite finish the book. She did complete the section on her life with Alexander but the part about her own career stops at a particular part which I plan to cover in a separate blog later.

Margarete Steele edited the book and then gathered additional information, such as all the articles that Adelaide ever wrote on magic and reprints of newspaper articles and similar articles of interest. There were no corrections in the language of the times, so there are occasions when Mrs. Herrmann was not politically correct by modern standards.

As to the content of the book, it is simply amazing. I've always enjoyed the brief biographies of the Herrmann's that appear in various magic books, but always yearned to know more. In this book, we learn that there was a rivalry between the two brothers Compars and Alexander and that they didn't speak for a period of time. I'm not sure still if they reconciled their differences. Adelaide implies they did but it's really tough to say.

One of the things I love about Alexander Herrmann was that he chose to a magician both on and off the stage. He was 'street magic' 100+ years before David Blaine and others were even born. He would cut open fruit to find coins inside while at a market. He would often produce a diamond ring from a biscuit or piece of bread, which had backfired on him on one occasion. A waitress took the ring and did not want to give it back! Alexander had to plead with the restaurant owner to retrieve his ring.

I was fascinated to learn that Alexander Herrmann was doing the 'muscle pass' with a coin as far back as the 1890s. For some reason I thought this effect was a bit more modern, but Adelaide properly describes his method for causing a coin to apparently float up from one hand to the other through the use of muscle control.

Adelaide doesn't go into specifics on the amount of money that Alexander made over the course of his lifetime but it had to be millions. He invested in theatres long before that kind of thing was popular. The Herrmanns you see were on the scene before Vaudeville came about. Herrmann's idea of buying theatrical properties and putting shows in them was just ahead of it's time.

Herrmann was also very generous and on more than one occasion took it upon himself to help pay expenses for other performing troupes. His generosity and his excessive spending had left them with very little money at the time that Herrmann passed away. It's clear that the hope was the restore their money by the end of their tour, however Alexander died midway.

In the book, The Illustrated History of Magic by Milbourne Christopher, there is a wonderful photo of Herrmann's house, known as Whitestone Manor on Long Island Sound. There is an even better photo of it in the book. It's a beautiful property but apparently, Herrmann only leased the property he did not actually own it.

Herrmann loved purchasing extravagent items like his  Herrmann Railcar. This train car was originally owned by actress Lily Langtry and Herrmann purchased it from her. The book contains photos of the interior and the exterior of the train car. As it turns out, Alexander Herrmann would die upon this train car in December 1896. They also owned a yacht which they called Fra Diavolo.

After her husband died, she went out on her own, first with her nephew Leon and then as a solo act. Apparently, she never spoke on stage, all of her work was done silently. She also incorporated special dances into her act as well. Her husband was known as an excellent sleight of hand artist and while he was alive Adelaide never ventured into that part of performing. But after he died, she began to learn and develop her own Billiard Ball Manipulation act, which takes a great deal of skill.

Adelaide and Alexander were remarkable people from a unique time in history. They were performing during the days of the Wild West right up until just before Vaudeville started. Eventually, Adelaide became a popular Vaudeville attraction in her own right.

This book is a must have for any magic historian or magic enthusiast. Margaret Steele has done a fine job which really feels like a labor of love from all parties involved. I saw the book listed on the Barnes & Noble website so it's even available to the general public which is exciting. For the price, you just can't beat it!

2012 Essential Magic Conference

The third (and possibly) final edition of the Essential Magic Conference is currently taking place in Portugal. Presented by Luis de Matos, David Britland and Marco Tempest, this is in my view one of the greatest conventions ever produced. I am speaking of EMC as a whole, from year 1 until today. Each year they assembly a list of speakers from all facets of magic and from all over the world. Topics cover almost everything imaginable, from close-up card magic to magic theory, to stage manipulation to magic history, and many things in between.

The line-up this year is incredible. Day 1 was mind blowing. How they continue to top each year is beyond me. Do yourself a favor, go register at www.essentialmagicconference.com and watch the sessions LIVE or watch them at your leisure. Also, if you register, you'll also receive the entire conference on DVD.

When you attend a typical magic convention, if you go away with one new routine, concept or idea you're doing pretty good. For me, with EMC I usually go away with several new ideas or effects. Already on day 1 there was one routine that was worth the entire price of the convention and I'll bet there will be a lot more over the next two days!

Highlights from Day 1....EVERY SPEAKER! That's actually not a joke. I enjoyed every speaker very much and even the panel discussion on the Value of Secrets was incredible (personally leaning towards Armando's belief on secrets). Eric Mead opens every EMC since the beginning and I always look forward to hearing him speak. Michel from Argentina was, as always, wonderful. I remember seeing him lecture at Denny's Magic Shop years ago and I purchased one of his 'Invisible Hands' way back then. Thankfully, I did take the time to learn how to use it and it's fantastic. Bill Malone totally cracks me up, so glad he is there this year. Steve Cohen talking about Malini, WOW. I also enjoyed his comments when someone wrote in and asked 'what can people today learn from magicians of the past'. (Can't believe someone actually asked that question!)

Woody Aragon was, well, brilliant. His trick alone, worth the price of the convention. Tom Stone's performance and then later lecture, also brilliant. Denis Behr, WOW. The procedure fried my brain and I would never do it, but it was fantastic. David Williamson, always superb. One of my own personal favorite routines which is in 90% of my shows is a routine of his. Debbie McGee should put out DVDs and a lecture of her own. Her voice and ideas needs to be heard! Yigal Mesika was another one who really made me sit up and take notice. OH, Armando Lucero, Dani DaOrtiz, David Berglas, Hero Sakai, Guy Hollingworth, and Graham Jolley all had amazing performances. Max Maven could talk about rust and make it fascinating, I always enjoy his talks. Marco Tempest is inspiring on more levels than I can list. And Topas, Stan Allen, and Luis de Matos are absolutely fantastic hosts.

DAY 2.....I can't really give highlights of the events of day two, mainly because my brain is fried at this point. I'm unable to watch EMC live as it's streaming, and in true fact, I'm actually having to listen to most of the content rather than watch it. This is due to a severe light sensitivity I'm suffering from at the moment. I do my best to watch various performances but thankfully so much of the content is verbal that I am still getting it all.

Each year EMC steps up their game. Last year when David Copperfield gave a tour of his museum via live video stream, I thought there was no way to top it. But honestly, as much as I loved that, it wasn't even the best thing at the conference. One of the Paul Daniel's talks for me, was one of the best things but I'm not sure I can name a single BEST. Because if you are an observant performer, you'll be picking up things constantly.

So in Day 2, Tina Lenert blew my mind and damn near made me cry with her phenomenal presentation. The two women at the conference this year were exceptional (Day1 Debbie McGee). David Williamson is a personal favorite and seeing David talk and watching him perform is always a treat but he said something during one of the Q&A's that answered a question I had for many years and it was so great to hear. Bill Malone is incredible, that's all I can say. On and on I could go, but I really want to get back to watching the videos. I'm actually not finished with Session 6 year and the stream has already begun for Day 3. If you haven't already done so, sign up/register/join, this fabulous conference.